Burn It Down
by Iceache
Summary: Booth finds himself in a difficult situation when his partner and brother seem to have a close connection, can he overcome his feelings in regards to both parties and make sure that his personal and professional lives don't interfere with one another?
1. Brothers in Arms

She glances at her watch impatiently and then back to Booth, he shrugs in apology and looks around the fire station for what feels like the hundredth time since they arrived. She sees his face soften into a smile and follows his gaze to the man approaching them from behind a pumper truck. Crossing her arms over her chest she smiles when the two men hug fiercely and then engage in some playful sparring. After a moment, Booth pats the younger man's back. Brennan takes in the younger man's appearance appreciatively and watches the exchange with curiosity.

"Good to see you little brother."

"Yeah Seeley, it's great to be home again." Making a pointed glance over his big brother's shoulder he flashes a dangerously charming smile at Brennan who feels her cheeks flame instantly. "And, who have we got here?"

Booth blushes at his lack of manners before steering his brother over to Brennan, he gestures between them both. "Jared, this is my partner, Dr Temperance Brennan. Bones, this is my little brother Jared."

Jared reaches for her hand and they shake gently, his eyes never leaving hers as he smiles inquisitively. "Bones?"

"Please, call me Temperance… it's your brother's excuse for an endearment." She rolls her eyes to illustrate her disapproval and gives him a lopsided grin.

"Nice to meet you. He said you were pretty… he didn't mention beautiful." Booth watches the exchange curiously and is taken aback by the blush that creeps further up her face. He also notices a familiar interest in his brother's expression and uses this as his cue to interrupt the exchange.

"So, Jared… we're just about to head for lunch. Just thought we'd pop by and see how you are settling in. Always on dangerous ground when I keep Bones away from her food."

Brennan looks at Booth quickly and then back to Jared smiling. "Come with us? You can tell me all about Booth when he was a kid. It'd be great to hear anything that I can use as ammunition against Booth somewhere along the line."

Booth's face drops as his brother smiles widely. "I'd love to… And I've got plenty of stories to share… Let me just go tell the guys that I'm heading off early." Jared walks away from them both and Brennan smirks self consciously. Booth watches her closely.

"He can just leave?"

"Yeah, Jared's the fire chief. He's pretty much always on call, he's responsible for these guys."

"So he's transferred here permanently?"

Booth turns his focus back to her but hers is completely attuned to his younger brother who is quickly approaching. He frowns and shoves his hands into his pocket. Jared holds out his arm for Brennan and she takes it without hesitation, Booth waits for them to pass and then follows behind.

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She smiles serenely listening to Jared recounting tales of his childhood with Booth. The resemblance between the brothers is almost uncanny, same warm brown eyes, muscular olive tone body, that same 'charm' smile that she expects must run throughout his family. There was no doubt that the Booth family had good genes. Jared was a couple of years younger than Booth and his features remained youthful. She had felt an instant attraction and the way that his warm gaze settled on her every now and then she was fairly sure that he had felt it too. She has never been one to be able to recognise immediate 'chemistry' but with Jared, he oozes confidence and charm. Booth had remained fairly quiet throughout lunch, only occasionally rebuffing Jared's accusations of memories that had played out a lifetime ago.

Jared settles back into his chair and takes a sip of his iced tea, the ice chinking off of the side of the glass. He regards Brennan slowly and then a slow smile spreads across his lips. She cocks her eyebrow in question. "You know something See? It just struck me, doesn't Temperance look more than just a little like Sara Maxwell?"

"Jared…" Booth's warning tone sounded across the table making Jared's smile widen. She knows this tone, but she's never once seen anyone rebel against it. Normally she would be about to drop whatever subject he was warning her from, but in Jared's presence her courage soars.

"Who's Sara?"

Jared leans across the table conspiratorially. Booth sighs in defeat as Brennan leans into his younger brother, enticed. "Sara Maxwell was Seeley's first love.. He chased after her all the way through high school. She didn't even know he existed."

"Booth.. I always had you figured as a charmer."

Booth shakes his head and takes a sip of his drink. "Apparently, Jared's always been the charmer… He knew that I liked her, but he dated her.. I never had the courage."

"Seeley and I always went for the same girls. I guess after a while he learned to be smarter and started to develop an interest in an entirely different type of female… Tall, leggy, blonde. I however am happy to admit that I've stayed true to brunettes with brains."

She blushes furiously at his insinuation and Booth groans silently. The rest of the afternoon is spent sharing pleasant conversation and childhood stories. The competitive rivalry between the two brothers still painfully evident to her.

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**Right guys, let me know what you think so far, am going to develop this into a case but just wanna know what you are thinking so far? Continue? End it? I know it's short at the moment, I promise if the consensus is to continue then I'll post again soon.**

**If you are trying to picture Booth's brother paste this link into your browser to see my inspiration.. Grrr**

http/images. 


	2. Dating A Booth

Booth had been strange at work today, his mood had irritated her but since he'd spent the weekend with Parker she had simply dismissed his demeanour, believing it due to another confrontation with Rebecca and Drew. Either way, his mood had stayed pretty consistent throughout the day and she had made an excuse to escape to her office and away from his stormy glare.

Sitting here now, facing a younger, less weathered version of her partner she feels at ease. Jared is like his brother in countless ways and she finds herself continuously comparing them both physically and through personality. Something about Jared had caught her attention, and she likes that.

"Temperance?"

She snaps her eyes up to meet his and blushes slightly. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to remember if I turned my oven off." She silently curses herself for the lame excuse.

"So tell me what it's like working with my big brother?" He smiles warmly and lifts his beer to his lips. She settles back in her chair and nods, a pensive expression casting over her features.

"It's…. it's… exciting, wonderful, aggravating… annoying… Do you realise how annoying your brother really is?"

Jared laughs heartily and nods. "Yeah, yeah I do. He used to drive mom and dad crazy, always has to be right."

She points a finger at Jared and matches his grin. "Yes! He does doesn't he? And he's so moody, he denies it… but he's like a woman sometimes."

Jared smiles. "And what about you Temperance?"

"What about me?"

"Well, tell me about you." She smiles gently and shrugs lifting the beer to her lips again.

"What do you want to know?"

Jared slumps back in his chair, the air in the bar is stale with smoke and the smell of booze, her nostrils flare as a waitress passes behind her with a plate of freshly cooked food. "Well, Booth has already told me a bit about you." She suddenly looks doubtful.

"Should I be worried?"

He chuckles and shakes his head. "He said that you're the best in your field. Brilliant, I think if I am quoting him correctly.. He told me that he's never met anyone who was so intuitive, intelligent and creative, yet socially handicapped in his life."

She is taken aback slightly by the final quote from her partner, but Jared reaches out across the table and squeezes her hand in reassurance. "Don't worry Temperance, he was right about one thing… You are beautiful, even if you don't know it yet." She squeezes his hand back and smiles bashfully.

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Booth walks into the lab and spots Brennan exiting her office, she smiles in his direction and he waves a manilla folder at her. Coming to a halt in front of her she smiles expectantly.

"Another case?"

He smiles gently and shakes his head. "Nope, I just wanted you to sign off this report before I hand it in to Cullen. He wanted some changes made to it."

"Oh, okay." She takes the folder ad walks over to a workbench, grabbing a pen from her lab coat pocket she flicks through the file. Booth leans against the workbench and tosses his keys into the air, catching them again deftly.

"So, how did your date go?" She glances at him from the corner of her eye without lifting her head to fully look at him.

"It went well, your brother is great… We went out, had some drinks and just talked." She signs her pages and hands the folder back to Booth who takes it whilst nodding. "So, are you sticking around?"

"Um, no… I have another case that I need to concentrate on right now." He scans her pages almost as though he is checking that she has spelt her name correctly, a habit that she will never cease to be annoyed by before closing the file. "We've got a case involving illegal bomb manufacture right now, it's using up most of the bureau's resources.. but we're close."

She nods, disappointed that her expertise is not required in this case, but understanding that she isn't an official agent, no matter how much she sometimes believes she would like to be. He glances at his watch and refuses to meet her eyes again instead focussing on the file in his hands.

"Well, I'll see you around Bones. Tell my brother I said hey."

She nods and watches him walk away, an unfamiliar feeling stirring in her abdomen as he disappears out of sight. Looking across at the lab area she sees Zack scrutinising some skeletal remains and after closing her eyes for the briefest of seconds to restore calm within herself she goes to join him.

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Looking up from her desk Brennan is greeted by the enigmatic smile of her best friend. Angela breezes into the office as only she can and flops onto the sofa. Brennan has avoided telling Angela about dating Booth's brother up until now, but she knows that she will need to disclose the fact soon.. Angela hearing the news from Booth will cause more hassle than she has the patience for at the moment.

"So sweetie…. I bumped into Booth as I was coming back from lunch…He might have just mentioned that you had a date last night? I refuted his claim, said no way.. If my Bren had a date, she'd surely tell her best friend.. But now that I think about it.. You left here before six, and conveniently accidentally turned off your cell. So what gives."

Brennan closes the lid of her notebook and folds her hands atop of it, the gossip-induced-hunger in Angela's eyes is almost too much to bear and she sighs. "I had a date."

Angela is up form the sofa and leaning across Brennan's desk before she is able to process the movement, her friend's chin resting in her hands. "So who is he? Was it Booth? Did you guys do the naked tango?"

Brennan smirks "How many times do I have to tell you that Booth and I are friends, work partners? Actually…my date was with…" She wracks her brain furiously trying to find a tactful way to relay her information, Angela raises her eyebrows to encourage her to continue and she sighs dejectedly "With Booth's brother."

Angela's pre-prepared grin falls immediately, her mouth forming a surprised 'o'. "'m sorry sweetie, run that one past me again, obviously too much punch last night. I thought you said Booth's brother."

Brennan pushes up from her desk and goes to her filing cabinet pretending to be looking for a file. "I did."

Angela watches her carefully, trying desperately to form a coherent, non-insulting sentence. "Um, Bren… I think it's great and all that you are dating someone, but his brother? Really?"

"He's nice, you'd like him. We went out for drinks, that's all."

"But sweetie… there are just certain things that you don't do. One of them being, dating the brother of the guy that has a major thing for you."

Brennan spins on her heel and folds her arms over her chest. "Will you lay off the Booth having feelings for me thing, play another vinyl."

Angela rolls her eyes. "It's play another record sweetie. I just think you should be careful.. Booth is a sensitive guy, and if things don't work out with you and Booth junior, then how do you think he'll feel stuck in the middle?"

Brennan shakes her head. "It was just drinks Angela. I'm not planning a long term relationship here, just a couple of drinks and some good company."

Angela watches her friend warily before holding up her hands and retreating to the sofa, her expression doubtful, her mind worrying about Booth and his reaction to this.

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**So? Keep it going? Stop here? The case that Booth is working on is about to kick in, so R&R to let me know if this should go anywhere.**


	3. Thankful

Brennan sits across from Jared in a quiet, tastefully decorated restaurant. He smiles at her over his glass of wine as he watches her animatedly digging into a seafood platter, she catches his amused gaze over her forkful of food and shrugs.

"What, have I got some on my face?" Using her free hand she wipes the back of her hand over her mouth and he chuckles shaking his head.

"No, it's nothing." She looks doubtful but returns her attention to the fork in her hand and swiftly empties the contents into her mouth. "Tempe, we've been out on a few dates now, and so I don't think I'll be completely out of line if I ask you if you would like to spend Thanksgiving with me?"

Her eyes shoot back to meet his and she places her fork on her plate carefully. "Um… I don't know what to say…"

"Traditionally Tempe, the girl would either say 'I'd love to' or 'Take a hike loser!' I'm hoping yours is going to be the former… I know that you don't really have much in the way of family, and that's why it'd be an honour if you would come."

She ducks her head as a thousand thoughts flash through her mind before one final conclusive thought causes her to look up with a luminous smile. "I'd love to."

Reaching across the table her lifts her hand to his lips and places a gentle kiss there. She smiles shyly, excited at the prospect of actually sharing this holiday with someone, but also completely nervous about the implications of her agreement to do so.

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Angela walks into Brennan's office to find her staring at something on her desk.

"Sweetie? Everything okay?"

Brennan spins around and her face lights up. "Angela, thank God." She picks up two objects from her desk and presents them both to Angela. "What would you give to your date's mom as a gift to say thank you for dinner? Fruitbasket or Cabernet?"

Angela goes from amused to confused in an instant. She feels for the edge of the sofa blindly and leans against it. "Dinner? Who's Mom?"

"Jared's." She sighs and jiggles both presents at Angela. "Which one?"

"You're meeting Jared's parents?" Brennan nods. "Jared is Booth's brother….you are meeting Booth's parents?" She shakes her head as she tries to process this. "Sweetie you can't go."

"Why not?" The presents hang limply at her side as her face falls into a confused frown.

Angela walks over to her friend and puts her hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie, you've known Jared five minutes, you've known Booth so much longer, you can't meet his parents unless he agrees to it… It's like, you're invading his personal privacy…. It's just not right."

A male voice from the doorway causes them both to jump. "What's not right?" Jared leans against the door jamb and as Angela's eyes scan over him she is almost taken aback by the family resemblance. Brennan presses the fruit basket into Angela's hands before smiling and shaking her head. She walks over to Jared and hands him the wine.

"It's nothing…. This is my friend Angela." Angela waves and Jared smiles politely. "Ready to go?"

He nods his assent and Angela plops the basket back onto Brennan's desk. "Oh, Jared…. Does Booth know that Bren is coming to dinner with your parents?"

He looks puzzled and shakes his head. "I haven't spoken to him about it. Unless my mom said something… why?"

"No reason… happy holidays… you kids enjoy what I am sure is about to be an amazingly interesting evening."

Brennan rolls her eyes and takes Jared's arm leading him from the office, once a few feet away Angela hears him remark on how strange her fiend is. Angela watches them disappear out of the lab and makes her way down to the main floor. She knows that her best friend doesn't recognise that the new relationship she finds herself in is doomed to fail. As she nears the bottom of the stairs she is more than surprised to see Booth walk into the mediolegal lab. He smiles and waves in her direction and she crosses her arms ready to engage in another very interesting exchange.

"Hey Ange…seen Bones?"

"Actually, you just missed her…she just left with Jared."

Booth's face falls and her clenches his fist dejectedly "Damn… I really needed to speak to her. Did they say where they were going? Jared's supposed to be at my parent's in about half an hour for Thanksgiving dinner. Dad hates it when he's late."

"I'm sure Bren won't allow him to be late."

Booth looks at his watch and shakes his head. "Listen Ange, I really need to head off or I won't hear the end of it… If Bones comes back to the lab, will you tell her that I said Happy Thanksgiving, and that I have an assignment later tonight.. I just…. Ah you know what, forget it… I'll speak to her later." He starts to head out of the lab and flashes a smile at Angela. "Happy Thanksgiving Ange."

"Let's hope so. Same to you." She watches as Booth turns on his heel and disappears. Shaking her head she is secretly glad to not be in the centre of Tornado Temperance.

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Booth shrugs his jacket off and hangs it on the coat stand near the front door, stamping his feet on the door mat he knocks off the last of the loose snow covering his boots.

"Mom? Dad?"

Mrs Booth comes out of the kitchen and opens her arms to greet her son. "Seeley… you're just in time, dinner's just about ready.. why don't you go and join everyone in the lounge."

Booth steps back from his mother's arms and looks at her in confusion. "Everyone?" No sooner had he spoken, he hears the unmistakeable sound of Temperance Brennan from the lounge. His eyebrow shoots up and his mother pats his arm before heading back to the kitchen, on peering around the door he catches sight of Brennan in an armchair across from his father, for some unknown reason his heart begins to thump rapidly in his chest as he watches a delighted smile pass over her features… Just then a figure resting his hand on her shoulder causes his mood to darken. Jared.

Taking a deep breath Booth pushes into the lounge and smiles warmly at his father who gets up from his chair to greet his son.

"Dad, good to see you."

"Good to see you too son." Booth simply nods at his brother and Temperance before heading into the kitchen. Brennan watches him confused by his sour mood.

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Booth had remained quiet throughout most of dinner, and as dessert is being served he wipes his mouth politely on his napkin. Pushing up from his chair he moves over to his mother and places a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks for dinner Mom."

"You're leaving now? You haven't even had your pie.."

Booth's eyes meet Brennan's over the table for a brief second and he forces a smile for his parents. "Yeah, I have work. I'm real sorry.. I'm sure Jared can manage my side of the washing up."

Jared chuffs quietly. "Always would do anything to get out of the dishes."

Booth smiles at his brother, apart from his overwhelming envy of Jared's relationship with Brennan, he is still his little brother and he still has that brotherly affection for him.

Booth grins at his brother and pats his back heartily.

"I'll see ya."

Booth heads into the hall to grab his coat. Mrs Booth watches Brennan's serious expression and then forces her attention back to the dessert when Brennan excuses herself and follows Booth into the hall. Jared watches with curiosity. He has all but concluded that his brother is in love with his partner, but her feelings are harder to decipher. He doesn't believe she's in love with his brother, but he doesn't know her all that well and he acknowledges this.

Booth shrugs his jacket on and Brennan leans against the wall nervously. He looks up at her expectantly, waiting for whatever it is that she came through to say to him.

"You're mad at me, for coming here. Angela said you would be.. I should have listened."

Booth looks at the floor and shakes his head. "I'm not mad Bones. My parents seem to like you… and my brother.. well. I need to go."

She hangs her head and nods, he pulls the front door open and smiles at the falling snow before turning back to her and lifting her eyes to meet his. His eyes search hers for a moment and she frowns as a familiar stirring begins in the pit of her stomach. After what feels like a few seconds short of eternity he leans forward and places a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Happy Thanksgiving Bones."

Before she is able to form a coherent thought the front door has closed taking Booth with it into the bitter night. She hugs her arms around her trying to warm the chill that his absence has left.

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OOOOOH Review me! You know you want to.


	4. Burning

She waits at the bottom of the garden next to Jared's truck as he hugs his mother on the porch. Hugging her arms to her body she smiles unconsciously at the display of affection. She has only been in the open air for a few moments but her hair is already dampened by the snow. Jared bounds down the path towards her and flashes, what she can only compare to Booth's signature, 'charm' smile. Mrs Booth waves happily to them both as they climb into the truck. After buckling himself in, Jared reaches across the console and gives her hand a quick squeeze. She smiles and leans her head against the window to watch the powder coated streets as they drive back to town. Booth's face flashes into her mind and she feels a pang of regret for her decision to come along to dinner. She hadn't meant to intrude and she had thought their friendship strong enough to survive a relationship with his younger brother. Her thoughts are interrupted form a noise, looking down she sees that it has come from the radio in the central console.

Jared reaches down and brings the radio to his mouth. "Go ahead."

"Chief.. We've been called down to warehouse twenty four by the docks. Some big bust is going down tonight. They've called for back up and you'll need to get down here."

Jared glances across at Brennan and shrugs apologetically. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Placing the radio back in the holder he looks at her quickly. "I'll just drop you off, I'm sorry.. It's not quite how I had imagined tonight playing out."

She shakes her head and smiles. "It's ok. It'll take longer for you take me across town, we could be at the dock in five minutes. You can drop me off later."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"No. I wouldn't."

Jared grins and concentrates on driving them to their destination.

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Pulling the truck into a space, Jared grabs his gloves and cap from the glove compartment. "I'll leave the truck running, that way at least you'll be warm. I'll be as quick as I can."

"Ok."

He leans across the cab and places a gentle kiss on her lips and when he pulls away a small contented smile has been left in their place. Giving her a wink he jumps out of the cab and into the snow. She watches him run into the distance towards the blue and red flashing crowds of cars and officers. She's become accustomed to the sight of police and yellow tape, she scans the crowds for familiar faces, mainly to pass time until Jared returns, not really expecting to see anyone she knows. She glances at her hands and then out of the passenger window. Frowning she watches a man with a radio, her eyes close together as she tries harder to focus on the man's familiar face. Getting out of the truck she briskly walks over to him. The FBI letters emblazoned on the back of his jacket spur her on.

"Cullen?"

The man spins around to face her, the radio still held close to his lips. Something passes through his eyes that she can't read. He holds a hand up to her as he turns back to face the warehouse "Just get them out. We don't have time for this."

"Is Booth in there?"

Cullen spins around to face her, his mouth about to confirm her suspicions but a blast ripping through the warehouse causes them both to be knocked to the floor. Seconds feel like hours as Cullen and Brennan push themselves to their feet. The devastation in front of them seems to play out in slow motion as Brennan watches agents flee from the building. Cullen immediately starts to bark orders into the radio but she doesn't hear what he is saying, her unusually numb legs come into action as she starts to run towards the warehouse. A strong arm grabs her around the waist and she doesn't even take the time to register that the arms belong to Jared, another larger explosion rips through the building and she screams out for him.

"Boooooooooth! Let me go! Booooth!"

Jared holds her fast as they shield themselves from the fiery heat. She fights against him and he tightens his grip. "Temperance stop it."

"No, Booth is in there."

He drags her over to an officer who is standing staring at the building in shock. "Hey, take care of her. Don't let her out of your sight."

The officer open his patrol car door and she slides inside grudgingly. Jared kneels in front of her and puts his hands on her knees. "Please Temperance. I'll find him, just wait here… I promise I'll find him."

She nods mutely, her cheeks stained with tears, already blackened by the air.

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**Sorry it's taken so long to update. X**


	5. Dawn of Realisation

Brennan watches in horror as fire engines pull up outside of the warehouse doors, the fiery blaze threatening to engulf them. She anxiously searches the faces of agents pouring from the building. As time ticks by the stream of agents leaving the building dwindles. Fire hoses attack the flames licking at the air and firemen start to appear from inside the building, some carrying bodies…none of them Booth.

The tension in her stomach is so tight that she feels the urge to vomit, but she is afraid to tear her eyes from the building in case she misses the one agent that she has trained her senses on. She's scared, not something that she openly admits often, but right now she has never been more afraid than she is right now. Her mind is blank and her eyes sting from the smoke that is engulfing the surrounding area. In the distance she can see Jared ordering men into the building and directing those coming out, every now and then he turns to make sure she is still within a safe distance. Glancing back at the door she watches anxiously.

Cullen walks over to the trooper car and kneels down next to her. He smiles at her sympathetically, understanding some measure of her fear. Her eyes meet his reluctantly.

"Have you found Booth?"

He shakes his head and looks towards the door. "No, it's been over an hour now.. He hasn't made contact, the other agent that he was with hasn't made contact either…. I'm sorry, we're not hopeful right now."

Tears find her eyes again and she allows them to run down her cheeks leaving white tracks. Cullen puts a hand on hers and gives her a gentle reassuring squeeze.

"What was he doing here?"

Cullen looks at her again. "We were working alongside the local authorities, we had a tip off that a gang that we've been tailing for quite some time were in the area. They specialise in manufacturing bombs and selling them on to terrorist and extremist groups. Most of our resources have been driven into catching those responsible after one of their bombs was used to blow up the house of a Canadian Ambassador and his family in their home…. He wasn't even supposed to be here tonight, he volunteered at the last minute, I had him on another detail, but he'd been helping in this case."

A look of defeat crosses the man's features and Brennan squeezes his hand through her own tears.

"The fire chief is his brother?"

She nods. "That's how I got to be here. He was dropping me off when we got the call."

"Must be hard for him too. I'll keep you updated as soon as I hear anything Dr Brennan." He pushes himself to his feet and lifts the radio to his lips once again as he makes his way towards the pumper trucks and Jared.

She stares with unfocused eyes at the doors of the warehouse, her heart sinking with every second that passes by. No one has left the building in at least twenty minutes, no one except for firemen, paramedics litter the space and as she takes in the devastation around her she sees agents on stretchers, hunched on the steps of ambulances and collecting evidence of the blast. The scene before her is a real life mosaic of action. Glancing back up at the warehouse she sees three people exiting the building. One man is being supported by an agent and a fireman. She squints at the injured man and is quickly dismayed to see that it isn't Booth, she watches as the men lead the injured one to an ambulance. The fireman shakes the hand of the unknown man before leaving, as she looks again she recognises the face of that man.

With her heart thumping in her chest and her pulse roaring in her ears she catapults from the car seat. The officer standing next to the vehicle doesn't have enough time to react because she's already halfway across the open space.

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He rubs a weary hand over his face and looks up to find his superior, instead he is greeted by the sight of her running towards him, her cheeks stained with tears and although confused by both her presence and emotion he catches her unsteadily with open arms. Wrapping her tightly within his grasp he closes his eyes as she buries her face in his neck and holds onto him for all that her life is worth.

"What are you doing here?"

She doesn't answer, and he can feel the tears soaking through his shirt and skin. He doesn't press her for an answer, just continues to hold her as tightly as he can without crushing her tiny frame. He strokes her hair, trying his best to comfort her as he presses light kisses onto the side of her face.

The red and blue flashes around them, and in the distance a fireman stands talking to a fire chief, congratulating him on that fact that his brother has been found. As the man turns to confirm the presence of his brother he feels like an intruder on a private moment between a man and the woman that he loves. Both are too caught up in the moment to realise that they are being watched, both too relieved to be alive and able to lean on one another.

Booth pulls back and looks into her eyes. She forces a smile through her tears and he puts a comforting arm around her shoulder as he leads her back to the vehicles.

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I know it's short…what do you think?


	6. Through the Haze

Jared takes off his cap and runs a hand through his hair. Looking up he sees his brother watching him from a distance, he sighs and replaces the cap on his head before heading over to talk to his older sibling. The fire is all but out, pumper trucks concentrate on smaller fires around the site and squad cars have started to vacate the scene. The picture of chaos is slowly melting into the white snow and falling ash.

Booth smiles as his brother comes to a stand in front of him. "Thanks for being concerned about my well being."

Jared gives him a cocky grin. "I would have been worried, but Temperance was there to take care of you. Speaking of which, where is Temperance?"

Booth jabs his thumb over his shoulder towards the back seat of the SUV. "She's exhausted. Probably the huge plate of food that Mom insisted she eat." Jared peers over his brother's shoulder and smiles affectionately at the sleeping form in the back seat.

"You okay Seeley?"

"I'll live…. We got trapped near the back of the warehouse, the exits were blocked and Jenkins was hurt, I dragged him into an office room and we just waited…. Nothing too exciting."

"Well, you had us worried." Booth taps his brother's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance.

"You want me to wake Bones? You can take her home."

"No, I'm gonna be here for a few more hours until the site is secure, don't wake her. You take her home."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Jared looks back at the warehouse. "I'm sure she'd prefer you to be the one to wake her."

Booth frowns quickly in confusion. Jared turns back to him and they shake hands. "I better get back." Booth nods and watches as his brother disappears back into the smoky haze. Taking a glance over his shoulder at the sleeping body he smiles gently before getting into the driver's side of the vehicle.

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As Booth pulls up outside of Brennan's apartment, she seems to sense the change in movement and sits up slowly. He turns in his seat to face her and smiles as he takes in her smoky features. She returns his expression with a warm quirk of the lips.

"Hey."

"Welcome to the land of the living."

"I don't know what that means…" Her confused expression causes a warm stir in his stomach and he nods.

"Well, you're home. You want me to walk you up?"

She shakes her head and smiles as her fingers go up to her mussed hair and she tries to flatten it. "No, I think I can manage it." Looking around the back of the car she frowns. "Where's my bag?"

"You're what?" He glances at the floor in the back of the car.

"My bag, it has the keys to my apartment in it."

"I don't remember you having a bag."

Her eyes snap up in realisation. "I've left it in Jared's truck….Ugh, I'll need to get them."

Booth lets out a loud sigh. "You're sure?" She nods. "You know what Bones, I'm beat. Jared's back at the docks still, why don't you come back to mine, you can take my bed and I'll sleep in Parker's room."

"But I smell."

Booth chuckles. "Well that's because you're a girl." Her eyebrows knit in confusion again and he holds up a hand as he pulls away from the kerb. "I know, you don't know what that means."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth pushes the front door open and hits the light switch, the room is bathed in a soft glow and he trudges into the hallway, Brennan follows behind him slowly hugging her arms to her body against her exhaustion and the bitter nip of the wind outside. Booth pushes the door closed behind her and turns to face her, this is the first time that he is able to see her face fully in light since he left the warehouse. He chuckles and reaches out for her cheek, she pulls back slightly and his eyes meet hers.

"Sorry, you're just…well covered in dust and soot."

She relaxes slightly. "Could I maybe take a shower?"

He nods and points down the hallway. "Last on the right, there's fresh towels in the linen closet and if you check under the sink there should be a new toothbrush, it's a kid's one, but it'll do the job."

She smiles gratefully and starts to make her way down the hall, stopping she turns to him with a concerned look on her face. "Are you sure this is ok?"

"Of course it is, now hurry up…I really need a shower too." She smiles and continues her journey. Booth wipes a hand over his face and looks at the closed bathroom door trying hard not to imagine her undressing herself on the other side. Groaning he walks into the kitchen and grabs a beer from the fridge. His eyes involuntarily staring at the wall in the direction of the room currently housing a very naked, soapy Brennan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth exits the bathroom, a damp towel slung around his neck, his chest bare and his pyjama bottoms hanging low on his waist. He dries his hair with an edge of the towel, his other hand supporting the other end of the towel around his neck. Flicking off the light to the bathroom he pulls the towel from his neck and tosses it over the edge of the roll top bath tub.

As he walks through the darkened hallway, he notices the light escaping from below his bedroom door. Knocking lightly he enters. Brennan is sitting on the bed, an old training shirt has replaced her smoky clothes, her hair still damp. She smiles gently at him, a sad expression in her eyes. He frowns and steps into the room and toward her.

"Bones?" Stopping by the bed he lowers himself and faces her. "What's wrong?"

She shakes her head slowly. "Nothing… It's just that.. I was worried. I thought that…"

Booth's hand on hers stops her from continuing her train of thought and he smiles reassuringly. "But I'm not, I'm safe."

Her eyes falter from his and she looks at her hand grasped in his larger one. She feels like she has so much to say to him, so many feelings to express, but the fear of letting him get close to her chokes the words in her throat. He seems to sense her awkwardness and tugs on her hand gently, she gratefully folds into his arms and he holds her tight against him.

"I was scared too Bones.

Too soon he is pulling back from her, smiling gently and brushing the damp strands of hair back form her face he presses his lips gently to her cheek. Her eyes flutter closed involuntarily and it takes all of his strength to propel him from the bed and onto his feet. The change in proximity causes her eyes to snap open again and he gestures to the door.

"I'll be right next door if you want me." His words hang thickly in the air and she is confused by the double-entendre, not by it's meaning, but by what it means to her. "Good night Temperance." Her mind is shocked back into the present by the mention of her given name. He has moved to the door and is backing from the room.

"Sweet dreams Booth."

He smiles and exits inwardly groaning at the irony of her statement. His dreams tonight will be anything but sweet.

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OOOOOH what's gonna happen?


	7. Torn

He stands with his back pressed to Parker's door, waiting, listening…hoping. After a few seconds he hears the lamp in his bedroom being turned off. Another few seconds and his heart sinks. He could have sworn that he saw something in her eyes, some sort of longing to open up to him. But not tonight. Over the couple of months he had begun to feel that he had been pushing her away, his relationships with both Cam and Rebecca hadn't promoted his feelings for her. She was just so hard to read.

He pushes away from the door and settles into the single bed, pulling the space ship covered sheet up to his chin he folds his hands over his eyes. He'd been so sure that she was starting to understand the way that he felt about her, then with his weak submission to Rebecca, something between them had changed. Rebecca would always have a place in his heart, to an extent he still loved her, his mother told him that it was because she was the mother of his child, but he knew that could never be enough for him. Cam, she was exciting, so full of life, aggressive… but it was a purely physical connection. When he'd realised that she held a deeper attachment he had come clean and they'd mutually agreed to call it off.

Neither woman was the reason for his recent sleepless nights. Temperance Brennan was the only creature torturing his mind. Bones and his brother. He couldn't really get his head around it. The idea that he may have pushed her into the arms of his brother is what kills him the most. He'd been too scared, too scared to lose the undefined relationship, the comfort, that they share.. and now he believes that he may just have just lost so much more. Having her only ten feet away, sleeping in his bed only adds to his tension. Closing his eyes he lets out an almost silent groan and prays for sleep to take him away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brennan carefully tip toes around Booth's home, her cab is on it's way, Jared is going to meet her at her apartment and Booth hasn't come out of his room yet. As she stoops down to pick up her shoes, she catches sight of a very sleepy looking Booth padding down the hall towards her. He runs a hand through his already ruffled hair and gives her a lopsided grin.

"You're leaving now?"

"Yeah, I'm really sorry for imposing…"

Booth frowns and reaches a hand out to rest on her shoulder "You are always welcome here Bones.. I'm just sorry you weren't here on more pleasurable terms" He watches as a confused look passes over her features and realises how that sounded. "I mean… because you wanted to be here..I didn't mean… You know."

A car horn outside interrupts the awkward silence and Brennan noticeably startles. A look that resembles relief passes over Booth's features and he forces a smile. She hooks a thumb over her shoulder.

"I should go. Thank you again…."

He nods and smiles as he watches her walk out of the house, shoes dangling between her fingers, the door closes and he slaps his forehead. "Idiot."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the cab pulls away Brennan leans her head against the window and lets out a sigh, watching as the house disappears a frown graces her features. "I did want to be here."

"Sorry? What was that Ma'am?"

She glances at the cab driver who is smiling pleasantly at her in the rear view. "Nothing, sorry."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth pads into his bedroom from the bathroom, a toothbrush hanging from between his lips, he tosses a shirt onto his bed and opening his cupboard pulls out a tie and suit. He wanders back into the bathroom and returns a couple of moments later minus toothbrush. After changing into his suit, he dumps his pyjama bottoms into the laundry basket and picks up a pillow to start stripping the bed. The pillow in his hands, his mind wanders to the fact that she'd been here, in his bed and without thinking he raises the pillow to his nose inhaling her scent, but almost as though she had never been there, all he can smell is his soap and his shampoo. Dejectedly he continues to strip the sheets.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As she lets the water from the shower head skim over her body, Brennan casts her mind back to the night before. Seeing Jared today had been like a breath of fresh air, he was so simple, so uncomplicated… she didn't have any of the conflict that she felt with Booth… she was starting to realise that it may be because she just didn't feel for Jared. Her mind is so torn between the brothers, between the man that she should want, and the one that she is now starting to slowly realise she does want.

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**I just had to do a little before and after to fill in for the 'stop over' at Booth's place. It is short, but I promise the next one's gonna be a brilliant chapter!**


	8. Courage and Cowardice

Brennan ducks under a yellow line of crime scene tape, straightening and then walking onwards to the shell of the building previously recognised as a dockside warehouse. As she nears the building she sees Booth standing talking to another agent, his hands on his hips. He turns and on catching sight of her allows a lazy smile to spread across his features. He turns back to the agent and after a beat walks away from him and over to her. Once he is by her side he reaches down and takes the forensics case from her and she smiles gratefully as they wander back toward the building.

"We've almost got the building secure enough for you to start collecting the remains…some of the fire crews are still working to make sure that we're able to get in and out as safely as possible."

"Good, the quicker we get the bodies out of there without risking further damage the better." She looks at him with a cautious expression. "How many agents?"

Glancing down at her he is confused by her question, the look on her face confirms her meaning however. "We didn't lose a single one….we were very lucky.. Just some burns and smoke inhalation…… So, just you? No more squints?"

"Zack is bringing some more equipment and bags…should be here any minute."

He nods thoughtfully. "Listen, about this morning… I didn't mean to make you feel awkward, I realise how it sounded. Guess I'm not all that articulate in the morning." He chuckles light-heartedly and she gives him what she can only hope is a reassuring smile.

"I know you didn't mean anything by it…..So will Jared be back here too?"

As she looks up she sees his face fall and knows immediately that she has said the wrong thing, regardless of how innocent her question may have been. Booth shrugs and gives her a smile.

"I should head back, Cullen has me overseeing the operation, lead agent is in hospital being treated at the minute….Let me know what you need."

She nods mutely and watches as he trudges through the snow and back to the buzz of the FBI crowd. She mentally curses herself for mentioning his brother and looks around for her elusive assistant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The weather had been blisteringly cold and she had been happy to finally be able to return to the lab, Zack had made good work of the remains so far, but there was still a lot to be done before any sets of bones could be worked on. She'd sent him home about a half hour ago and now shutting off her notebook she too is about to head home. As she picks up her coat from the back of her chair she scans the office quickly as normal. As her eyes scan to the door she is startled by the form of her partner. He leans against the jamb and smirks.

"Booth!"

"I thought you heard me come in."

Her eyes narrow, flicking off the lamp she shrugs on her coat and walks over to him.

"You know I never heard you…." He chuckles and nods. "What are you doing here?"

He looks at the ground, breaking eye contact "Just wondered if you wanted to maybe, grab a beer?" Instead of answering him she waits for his eyes to travel from the floor and back to her face before she smiles in acceptance. His face lights up and he flushes slightly. She, looking down at the cell in her hands, doesn't notice. He watches curiously as she switches the cell off and slides it into her pocket.

"So where are you taking me?"

"Bones, wherever you wanna go."

She smiles and takes his arm as they turn to leave the Jeffersonian halls.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sliding next to her Booth places their beers on the table, she smiles gratefully and he raises his bottle prompting her to do the same, the bottle necks clink before they raise them to their lips to take a sip. A waitress leans across their booth to clear empty bottles and Brennan smiles in thanks. Scanning the bar she lets out a sigh.

"I like it here."

He nods and places his bottle on the table, peeling the label absent mindedly. "Yeah, I used to come here quite a bit with Jared whenever he came home for Christmas… Good atmosphere, pool table…"

Brennan grins and nudges him with her shoulder "Women."

Booth grins into his bottle as he lifts it against his lips again. "Yeah, I guess that the women helped in bringing us back again and again….. Jared's the one with the charm though, so more often than not, he was the one leaving with a date or number."

Brennan smiles and nods. "You're not without your charms Booth."

He grins cockily "You think I'm charming Bones?"

She rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her beer, her shoulders rising in a nonchalant shrug. Glancing up towards the bar exit an unreadable expression crosses her features and her hand pauses mid air with the beer, Booth frowns and follows her gaze. Four men are entering the bar, amongst them is none other than Jared Booth. Booth lets out an exasperated sigh.

"You call Jared?"

"I switched my cell off, I haven't spoken to him since this morning."

At that moment Jared catches sight of them and bustles over to the booth pulling his hat and gloves off on the way, he flashes a dangerously charming smile at Brennan and she can't help but return it.

"Seeley, Tempe… Dad said you were coming by here tonight… I thought I'd try and catch up with you, me and some of the guys were going for a few anyway."

He slides into the booth across from them and taking Brennan's hand places a chaste kiss on her knuckles. Booth stares ahead at the front door.

"Good day at work?"

She smiles and nods. "I was a little tired but yeah, we managed to retrieve a large proportion of the remains… we start the identification process tomorrow. Booth thought that I needed a break so…"

"Yeah, Seeley's always thinking." Jared's eyes meet his brother's across the table. Something passes between them that Brennan doesn't understand, after a few seconds of silence Booth pushes up from the table. She looks at him in question and he smiles gently.

"I'm kinda tired again Bones. How about I drop by tomorrow and see what you've found out."

She looks from one brother to the next, unsure of what to say or do. She feels that she should make her excuses and leave with Booth, but then wouldn't know how to explain to Jared her reasons for leaving with his brother on two consecutive evenings. She instead settles to smile and nod at Booth.

He grabs his jacket and slides it on. Jared picks up Booth's half finished beer and takes a swig. "Did Booth tell you that this is where we used to come to pick up women when we were younger?"

"Yeah. He mentioned it just before you arrived."

"In fact, you might know someone he met here… Rebecca?" Her eyes snap up to meet Jared's, he smiles at her and takes another swig of the beer. "According to Mom, he reckons he'll always be in love with her… never talks to me much about her though. Guess we used to be closer."

"I don't think Bones wants to be bored by Rebecca stories."

She looks up to meet Booth's eyes and sees a sadness there. Jared shakes his head "Probably not."

Booth nods his farewell and she watches as he retreats out of the bar. A feeling of uneasiness passes through her and she subconsciously begins to pick at the label on the beer bottle. Jared watches her with hidden amusement. "You ok Temperance?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Long day."

Jared slumps back in the booth and watches her carefully. "My real reason for coming here was to talk to you…. I think there are some things that we should discuss."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth closes his door behind him and tosses his keys onto the lamp table. He shrugs off his coat and lets it slide to the floor kicking off his shoes and allowing them to drip next to the jacket. Walking up the hallway he pulls his suit jacket off and loosens his tie as he disappears into the bedroom.

A few moments later he reappears from the room, his suit and shirt replaced by a tshirt and jeans. He walks through to the lounge and collapses onto the sofa. Leaning his head back against the leather he lets out a sigh. He is angry, ashamed, guilty…. Jared let him know tonight that he is more than aware of his feelings for Brennan. The few seconds in that bar had been long enough for Booth to see the challenge in his brother's eyes. He'd left to avoid a confrontation, he knows his brother well, he knows that Jared would have no dispute with bringing Booth's guilty secret to light in front of the object of his affection. He left to spare her the embarrassment.

During the ride home he'd been hit with a barrage of emotions. Shame for having feelings for his partner, guilt for still trying to win her affections despite her attachment to his brother and anger, anger that Jared had appeared out of nowhere and stolen her from under his nose.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jared watches Brennan carefully, he notes the confusion and conflicting emotions playing across her fine features and reaching across the table hooks a finger gently under her chin. Her eyes meet his reluctantly and her eyes portray the raw emotion that she is experiencing.

"How did you know?"

"Oh come on Temperance, the only blind party in this affair is you. If you took a second to really see how he looks at you, there'd be no denying it…. He's my brother, I admit that probably makes me slightly more of an expert… I can't carry this on. Not when I know how he feels." Jared's eyes are downcast but he lifts them gently to meets hers, pinning her gaze with his own. "Not when I know that you return those feelings."

Her eyes widen and she is comparable to a deer caught in headlights. He smiles gently, his gaze offering her some semblance of understanding. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise Tempe…. Had I met you first, maybe things would be different… I just can't risk falling in love with you, knowing that I'll only ever be second to him."

"How did you know?" Her eyes have dropped to her hands.

He takes a sip from his beer and sits back. "I didn't… I just guessed. Last night, when he came out of that building… I saw you both, holding on.. I guess something just clicked. I'd had my suspicions… You can't lie to yourself."

He leans across the table and squeezes her hand. "Now go on, go home, give him a call."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth comes into the lounge with a bowl of fresh popcorn and a beer in his hands. The telephone ringing causes his to path of travel to alter over to the telephone table and he places down the popcorn replacing it with the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brennan sits on her sofa with her phone to her ear, the tone on the other end indicates that the other caller is engaged. She sighs and clicking the phone off returns it to her table. After a couple of seconds she pushes up from the sofa determinedly and heads for the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth click the TV off when he hears knocking at his front door, he clears his throat and moves that way to answer, a slow easy smile spreads across his face as he greets his guest and ushers them inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brennan pays the cab driver and walks up the drive to Booth's home. She is relieved to see the lights are still on and sees a shadow move past the window in the kitchen. Smiling to herself she takes a deep breath as she prepares to knock the door and finally let Seeley Booth take her over the line that they have been dancing around for the past year and a half. As she knocks she exhales and clenches her fists nervously. As the door opens the carefully practised smile disappears from her features.

"Dr Brennan…Hi"

"Rebecca." She finally manages to stumble. Her heart seems to plummet to the pit of her stomach.

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**Uh oh….. must suck showing up and having the ex answer the door! If you've read it this far, please review it. :D**


	9. The end of the beginning?

The look of surprise on Booth's face had been enough to convince her of what she had walked in on, she'd made a lame excuse that she thought she'd left her watch there the previous evening while desperately trying to disguise it with the cuff of her sleeve. Rebecca had looked amused during the entire exchange, Brennan had wondered if she knew the real reason that she had shown up at his door. Booth had made some excuse about Rebecca needing to discuss Parker's school, Brennan had tried to appear interested but her eyes had spotted the bowl of popcorn on the table and the beer sitting next to it. As quickly as she had arrived, she was out of the door and on her way down the garden path. He'd called after her but she assured him that she'd speak to him at work tomorrow. She'd been grateful for the darkness of the night cooling the burn of her cheeks as she disappeared from his sight.

Lying here now in her bed she replays the scenario over and over in her head. She mentally curses herself for being so brazen, for rushing over there without thinking things through… after all, this was Booth… Her friend, her partner. Is she really ready for that kind of change in her relationship with him… sighing she admits reluctantly that she doesn't know. Either way, it doesn't matter. Jared mentioned Rebecca's hold over Booth earlier this evening, she guesses that she just didn't want to hear what he was saying. Their constantly shifting relationship was more confusing now that she had believed it to be. She closes her eyes, resigned to continuing her professional relationship with her partner suddenly very aware of the complications that any other kind of relationship may cause.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth closes the door behind Rebecca and leans his head against it closing his eyes. He looks at his watch quickly wondering if it was too late to call Brennan, to explain to her why Rebecca had been here. He shakes his head and snorts to himself knowing that Brennan didn't care about his personal life, she just wanted to make sure that his mind remained on the case. Jared was fulfilling Brennan's needs now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When he entered the lab he was struck by the silence, he spotted his team up on the platform 'squinting', but still no sight of Brennan. Deciding that he would prefer to stay out of her way for the time being he heads up and swipes himself through the security system. Angela is examining the skull of one of the bodies, Jack is concentrating on what he can only assume is some type of spore or mud sample and Zack is taking measurements from the bones.

Angela smiles gently. "Hey sweetie… Bren's gone out for lunch."

"Now how do you know that I'm not here to see you Ange?"

"Well are you?"

He smiles gently. "No. I'm not. More of an update visit. What you guys got for me?"

Angela places the skull down on the table and nods towards Zack. "Z Man's gone and identified 4 of the 5 remains. We managed to identify them by the dental records and the information that you had couriered to us. We can't identify the fifth, so he's taking the measurements to run through the database see what we can find."

Booth shakes his head in disbelief and a coy smile spreads across Angela's face as she waits for a smart assed retort. "Bones is missing this, I thought she liked to be in control of the situation."

Angela glances back at her clipboard and nods "Yeah, she must have just needed a bit of time to clear her head, you know since she and Jared called things off." She looks up at him and her face falls as she realises that Booth was unaware of the fact.

"What?"

"Ha.. You didn't know. And so I'm gonna stop talking now." She attempts to brush past him and exit the platform. Booth catches up with her and walks with her towards her office.

"They called it off? Last night?" Angela pretends to be engrossed in her notes, Booth stops her with a hand on her arm. "Come on Angela. I need to know what happened. She showed up at my place last night." Angela looks up at Booth suddenly interested, he drops his gaze from hers and lowers his hand. "Rebecca was there."

Angela lets out a breath. "I'm taking my break now, you're buying."

He nods eagerly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sitting at the bar in Wong Foo's Booth plays with his noodles. Angela however digs in heartedly.

"You know Booth, I thought the whole thing with Rebecca was over?"

"It was… It is. Why did she come over?"

"Who? Rebecca?"

"No, Bones…. I just don't know where I stand with her Angela. Why did they call things off?"

Angela shrugs. "She wouldn't say. Just said, they both agreed to finish things.. I'm surprised your brother didn't say anything to you about it."

"Jared's not exactly too happy with me right now."

"Dare I ask why? Or do I already know?"

He smiles "I'm really that transparent?"

"Booth you have no idea. The only person who has any kind of difficulty is Bren and let's face it, it's because she isn't the most perceptive female to ever have walked the planet… Let's just say that she came over to tell you that she and Jared called things off, let's just say that it was because she had finally realised that you and her are gonna be the hottest thing since Lachey and Simpson…. You really think that she's gonna be easy to reach after running into the ex at your apartment?"

Booth rubs a hand over his face "I can't believe I might have messed this up before I even had a chance to start it."

"You might need to give her a bit of time on this one Booth. It's all or nothing with Bren, and if our assumptions were correct, she's gonna need time to re-evaluate her feelings."

She puts a hand on his arm and squeezes gently. Booth hangs his head in his hands and lets out a deep sigh.

"So Rebecca. Did you sleep with her?"

Booth sighs and turns to face Angela.

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**Just a filler guys. I'll update soon, there'll be a lot of sparks flying in the next chapter ;)**


	10. Crossing the Line

Brennan stood next to the table reading over Zack's notes, her eyes flicked furiously over the words on the page and he sat waiting expectantly for her corrections. When she simply nodded her approval and handed the notes back to him, to say he was stunned would have been a gross understatement. As he watches her making her way back to her office Jack pats his back.

"Must be that time of the month Zack, she'll come back with something for you to correct in a few hours… don't worry."

Zack watches after his mentor for a moment longer and then turns back to the table to finish examining the bones. Jack smiles and shakes his head before slouching onto a chair and concentrating on the microscopic images in front of him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brennan sits at her desk and stares unseeingly at the monitor in front of her. She'd been wondering if it were best to avoid Booth completely but had quickly dismissed the idea. She knows that ignoring Booth will only make their working relationship much harder than it is already.

Flicking the monitor off, she glances at her watch. After a few seconds of pondering, she pushes up from the desk grabbing a manila file from beside her keyboard. If she is to maintain any semblance of normality, she may as well start now by briefing Booth on the team's findings so far. Grabbing a jacket from the back of her chair and shrugging out of her lab coat she heads out of the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth stands at the stove frying eggs with a towel slung over his shoulder. Work had been slow today and so he had taken off a couple of hours early and headed back to his apartment, he really wanted to clear his head and now, even after being home for those couple of hours he is no clearer. The phone starts to ring and he picks it up form the counter behind him and cradles it between his chin and shoulder as he continues to cook the eggs.

"Hello?"

"Booth?"

"Bones? Is that you?"

"Yeah, is this a bad time?"

He closes his eyes, he hates that she would ever think there could be a bad time but knows that he deserves her question. "Course not. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I went to the bureau, but you weren't there."

"That's coz I'm here Bones."

"Well we've established that Booth. I just thought you might have wanted an update on the lab's findings."

"Yeah, sounds good. Why don't you swing by my place?... Or I can come by your's later?"

There is a beat of silence as she contemplates and he forgets to stir the eggs for a second as he waits for her reply. "I'll come by just now. It shouldn't take long."

"Okay, I'll see you when you get here." He hangs up the phone and lays it on the counter beside him, looking quickly at the eggs in the pan he shakes his head. Carrying the pan to the garbage can he empties the contents in and places the pan on the stove turning it off. He walks over to his fridge and pulls it open, staring inside he is quickly dismayed to find it bare. Picking up the phone again he hits speed dial and after a few seconds smiles.

"Hey, I'd like to order a pizza."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Getting out of her car she stands and takes a few seconds to glance warily at the font door. Only last night she was here, ready to let the man on the other side into her heart, tonight she is here determined to keep him out of it. On approaching she knocks quietly and is startled when the door opens immediately. Lowering her hand she forces a smile, the moment is awkward and she can sense his unease with the situation which, oddly, makes her feel better. He ushers her in and closes the door behind her. She stops in the hall, feeling suddenly like an intruder, but his hand on the small of her back guides her into the living room.

"Sit down Bones."

She obeys silently and sits with the folder in her lap, he sits next to her, their bodies close but not touching. After a moment of silence Booth puts a hand on her arm causing her to jump, she smiles apologetically at his confused expression and hands him the file.

"You okay?"

"Yes" she lies. She feels anything but okay, her heart races and her stomach is churning with anticipation, anticipation that she glumly admits is pointless. The man sitting next to her, flicking through their latest case file, the one that she has only just begun to understand her feelings for - is and will remain unobtainable. She won't allow herself to be pulled into the complication of relationships. Just thinking about his undefined relationship with Rebecca is enough to convince her that she would only end up regretting acting on her impulses. That's all they were, impulses. Desires, urges, chemical reactions. In her mind that's what lust is…. So why, when she understands the basic biology of humans is she unable to categorise the feelings that he stirs in her?

Booth closes the file and smiles at her impressed. "You guys have done great. We didn't expect to have the IDs so soon. When will we have the last ID?"

"Zack's close to making an ID now, did you read that part where Sims and Collins were dead before the explosion?" He nods. "Both died of gunshot wounds to the head. The cranial fissures surrounding the wound show that they were shot at close range, could be suicide. We're investigating the possibilities."

"Amazing." She looks up to see the soft expression on his face as he regards her. "I always find it amazing how you can do that… from a set of bones."

"It's my job." The sound of the doorbell causes her eyes to snap up and glance at the door behind her. She pushes herself from the sofa and picks up the now discarded file. "I should go… You look like you're expecting someone."

Booth stands up and smiles reassuringly. "I'm not expecting anyone… I ordered pizza. Stay here." He pushes up and goes to answer the door, she peers around him as though to check the validity of his statement.

Her ease quickly disappears as she remembers the feeling that seeing Rebecca had stirred in her last night. She doesn't want to experience that feeling again, or the smug smile that Booth's ex had worn as she'd made her excuses for showing up on his door step so late. She watches him walk into the kitchen with the pizza box and decides that she can't stay here for another second if she is to maintain her resolve. Striding to the door she is about to reach for the knob when she feels his hand on her free arm. She turns to look at him and sees his questioning glance.

"I need to go Booth." He nods towards the pizza.

"Stay have something to eat." His grip on her arm is gentle but insistent. She glances at the pizza and then back at him, his charm smile is starting to appear at the corners of his lips and she shakes her head. The smile stops creeping up his face and his eyes seem to search hers for something, she is unsure of what, or whether or not he has found it but some sort of emotion passes through them and it's leaving her breathless.

"I can't." She goes for the door knob once more but in one swift movement from Booth she finds her back against the door, his body pressed to hers and his face millimetres from her own. The file falls to the floor and she feels it land against her foot, before she has a chance to protest his lips have found her own and his hands have taken up residence in her hair.

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	11. Aftermath

He pulls back slowly, his heart racing and his palms dampening the strands of hair held in his hands. He dares to open his eyes and look at her, silently confident in his assertions, needless to say he is stunned when he feels the sharp sting of her hand across his cheek. His hands automatically leave her hair and one reaches up to cradle the offended cheek. He steps back from her and lowers his eyes to the floor, instantly shamed.

"I'm sorry. I deserve that…"

She lowers her eyes to the floor, her cheeks flamed by her discomfort. Booth, still holding his cheek, walks into the lounge leaving her leaning against the door. Her fingers touch her lips gingerly, the tingling sensation that his lips had caused still lingering. She is torn between going to him or leaving and her anger, although still there, has dissipated slightly. She hears the leather of the sofa creak under his weight and something inside of her wants to go to him. She turns and opens the front door pausing on the threshold, still undecided. The image of Rebecca answering his door last night is enough to propel her over the threshold and towards her car.

Booth hears the front door close quietly, the engine of her car roar to life, the gravel crunch under the car tyres. Leaning back further into his sofa he closes his eyes and silently curses himself for his lack of tact or respect.

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She walks into the deserted halls of the Jeffersonian, the lights flicker on as she passes through each section. She reaches her office and lets out an audible sigh, this is where she feels safe, comfortable. Her altercation with Booth this evening has shaken her slightly, she prides herself on being sure of almost everything, and yet with Booth she is never sure of anything.

She enters the office and settles herself at her laptop, booting it up and then concentrating on the file notes in front of her.

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Booth opens his door and sighs resignedly as his brother faces him with a confused look. Booth walks back into the lounge and flops onto the sofa. Jared closing the door behind him follows.

"You okay See?"

"I'm fine" He lies.

Jared's eyes roam over the untouched pizza and then back to his dejected looking brother. He drops his keys onto the table and perches on the end of the table.

"Jared, I have a sofa."

"I can see that…. So what gives?"

Booth shakes his head and remains silent. Jared smirks and leans back on one hand. "What have you done Seeley."

"Why didn't you tell me you called things off with Bones?"

Jared shakes his head and huffs out a chuckle. "I knew this had to be about Temperance…. It only just happened last night See, I didn't exactly have time to let you know…. I take it she managed to find the time though."

"Yeah.. she did. She showed up here and – "

Jared holds up his hand and pulls a face "You know what, spare me the details. I don't need to know what happened…"

"Rebecca was here when she got here. Nothing happened." Jared looks at his hands and then pats his brother's knee. "What happened with you and Bones Jared? Why did you end it?"

Jared moves to sit on the sofa, reaching across to the table he picks up a slice of the untouched pizza. "We agreed that since you were in love with her, it wouldn't be right to continue the relationship." Booth's eyes rise to meet Jared's. "I guess that since she was in love with you too, that made things even more difficult."

"She's not in love with me. Trust me, I've got the bruises to prove it."

Jared's confused expression returns and Booth shakes his head and holds up his hand. "You think that might have anything to do with her finding Rebecca here last night? She was on her way here to let you know how she felt about you, and when she gets here she runs into the mother of your child. Was Parker here?"

"No." Booth hangs his head. "Don't give me that look Jared."

"You're not even looking at me, how would you know what look I was giving you?"

"Years of being on the receiving end of it has honed my senses. She came over to discuss some extra time for me and Parker. That was it."

"Was it?"

Booth lets out a deep sigh and leans back. Jared takes another bite of the pizza shaking his head.

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Zack bounds up the steps to the platform after swiping his security pass through the scanner. He is almost taken aback to see Brennan already working over the bones.

"Dr Brennan."

She doesn't look up from the table and points to the folder behind her. "Pass me that will you Zack."

He nods and passes the folder to her. She glances up and smiles appreciatively. "Thanks."

"Did I miss something?"

"No. Of course not." He beams at her underlying praise. "I just managed to discover that the unidentified body was not one of the suspects. In fact, I'm almost certain that the John Doe was a hostage of some kind."

Zack looks confused, Brennan smiles and ushers him over to the set of remains. "I noticed on one of the victim's wrists that there was a plastic residue on the bones before they went for cleaning. I looked back at the pictures that Angela took and I noticed that it was identical on both wrists. When I compared it to common materials, I found out that it was garbage ties."

Zack studies the prints on the table and then looks at the wrists of the skeleton. "But that would have taken hours to discern."

She nods and smiles. "I need you to work with Angela on the reconstruction, I need a face for this victim as soon as possible." Brennan looks around the lab. "Where is Angela?"

"Um, Dr Brennan… it's seven thirty am. No one comes in until after eight."

Brennan looks at her watch almost as though she doesn't believe him. She nods "I didn't realise it was so late."

"It's not, it's early Dr Brennan."

"Okay Zack, just continue putting the markers on the skull for the facial reconstruction. I'll be back in an hour or so. If Cam asks, tell her I've gone home to shower."

Zack nods and watches her leave.

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Brennan lets the spray of the spray of the shower wash over her. Time had once again escaped her and she'd spent a long night engrossed in her work. She turns off the shower head and reaches for a towel, wrapping it around her tightly and squeezing the remaining liquid from her hair. She may not have been able to get any sleep last night, but at least her mind hadn't been full of thoughts about Booth. She knows that he will come by today and she knows that he'll be ashamed of his actions, he'll apologise and they'll continue their professional relationship. Things are going to change and while she longs for it she's also afraid of it.

She hears a knock at her door and shrugs into her robe. Going through and opening it slowly she is taken aback to see Angela on the other side waggling two cups of coffee in her face and wearing that grin that only Angela seems to wear.

She forces a smile and steps aside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angela sips on her coffee as Brennan takes their empty plates into the kitchen. Angela follows.

"So he just kissed you?... No romantic declarations of love first?"

"It wasn't like that Angela. I don't think Booth is in love with anyone to be honest. I mean he's slept with Rebecca and Cam in the past month and then tried it with me. I think he has low self esteem."

"Sweetie, stay away from the psychology. I wish I could just bump both of your heads together. He didn't sleep with Rebecca."

Brennan turns to watch Angela who has raised her coffee to her lips. "What did you say?"

"I said, he didn't sleep with Rebecca. When you went around the night before last, he told me that she was there. Why were you going there Bren?"

"I don't know."

"Oh come on, you do. You are just too afraid to admit it now. Say it with me Bren, I went there last night, to tell Booth that I wanted to give us a chance…. I believe in you, you can say it."

"It's not as simple as all that."

Angela rolls her eyes and leans back against the counter. "It is that simple. You just have the knack for over complicating things which is weird since you are basically a low maintenance chick. Explain this to me, I'm already late for work anyway.."

"I don't know how to explain it. One minute I'm dating Jared who's funny, smart, good looking.. a good match.. and then the next I'm…." She stops and sighs unable to complete that sentence. She seats herself at the breakfast bar and leans her chin on her knuckles. "Ugh, this is all Jared's fault."

"How's that?"

"If I hadn't gone out with Jared then none of this would have happened. I liked how things were, I liked our dynamics."

"Liar."

"I did. I liked that Booth would come in and he and Zack would have this strange relationship. I like that you and Booth would flirt, that Jack was completely paranoid about Booth being an FBI employee, I liked that we would be able to fight and still remain friends."

"And yet, you fail to mention the long lingering looks, and never ending flirtatious banter. Sweetie, it's been obvious to everyone but you from the start that you two are made for one another."

"Angela. Please, don't. Whatever reason I went to see Booth for that night, I refuse to be just another woman that he sleeps with…"

Angela's eyebrows seem to crawl across the ceiling at this comment. "Whatever happened to sex just being sex?"

"There are some people you can't _just_ have sex with." Booth's words resurface and she frowns. He had said the exact same thing to her once. Angela watches her friend in silence, Brennan's brow has knit together as she contemplates something.

"What is it Bren?"

"Nothing, it's just that Booth said that to me once."

Angela grabs her purse from the kitchen counter and slings it over her shoulder "Maybe you should stop and think about that then."

Brennan looks up at her confused. "Why?"

Angela puts her hand on Brennan's shoulder and guides her out of the kitchen towards the door. "Because Bren, if he meant that… then what does that mean for him trying it on with you? If he can't just sleep with you, then what other possible motive would he have for kissing you?"

Brennan lets out a small sigh as they make their way out of the apartment.

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Booth walks into the Jeffersonian. Angela spots him and waves making her way towards him. He groans inaudibly at her chipper appearance. His eyes unconsciously scan the floor for Brennan. Angela takes his arm and starts to lead him to her own office.

"Relax sweetie, she's in her office. Best to give her some space don't you think?"

"She told you?"

"Yeah, way to go on the kissing, not so way to go on the doing it right after she ran into Rebecca at your place."

"I need to know what's going on here Angela. I've made such a mess of this whole thing."

"Yeah, you got that right… But don't worry, I'll help you fix it."

"No, I don't want anyone's help. It's how I got into this state in the first place. I need to figure this out myself..without anyone's advice."

Booth storms ahead to Angela's office leaving her to watch after him. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath before going to join him with her findings.

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**Hmm the case hasn't really picked up has it? I keep getting too wrapped up in what's going on with the characters. **

**I'll try harder for the next chapter.**


	12. Learning

Booth taps gently on the glass of her office door. She looks up from her notebook and forces a small smile for him. Holding up his hands he walks slowly into the office.

"Is it safe to come in?"

She nods and turns her eyes back to the monitor. "Of course it is."

"I came to apologise. I'm sorry, I crossed the line."

"It's ok."

He walks further into the office and leans toward her over her desk. "Bones look at me." She complies and he looks at her as earnestly as possible. "I mean it. I'm sorry."

Her face softens at the apology and she nods sincerely. "Let's just forget it ever happened."

"Thank you." Booth pushes himself up from the desk and heads back to the door. "I'll just wait for you on the platform." She nods and he turns to leave, he pauses and turns back to her. "Bones?" She looks up and gives him a small smile in response. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you intentionally, right?"

She is taken aback by the honesty of his question and forces her head to move in an affirmative gesture. He smiles and leaves her alone with her thoughts. She stares at the empty space between the door frame where he had just been, his apology had been sincere and she did accept it mostly..

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She shrugs on her lab coat as she swipes her security pass and joins her team on the platform. Jack snaps at the rubber band on his wrist looking slightly flustered, but she doesn't notice. Zack stands with his hands shoved into his pockets and his head ducked, again she doesn't notice, just like she doesn't notice the glare pointed at them both by Angela. Booth moves away from them careful not to draw her attention to her colleagues.

"So Bones, lay it on me."

"Lay what on you?"

"You know…. What did you find out?"

She shrugs at his poor use of the language and flicks open the manila folder that she is holding. "We identified the final set of remains as Warren Sanderson. Angela did a great job on the identification images and they match perfectly, his wife declared him missing two days ago…"

"Ok, I'll have that looked into. Anything else?"

"What do you mean anything else?"

Booth holds up his hands and shakes his head. "Nothing… nothing at all. I'll get onto the bureau and get some background on this guy. What about the other two?"

"We haven't been able to pull anything else from the bodies. Cause of death was definitely gunshot for both…"

Booth nods and looks at the other three squints behind him, their expressions unchanged. "You um, wanna come with me Bones? See what we can dig up at the bureau?"

She looks up at him and then to Angela nervously. "Uh…no. I need to get on with some things."

"Ok." He holds his hand out for the file and she all but throws it toward his extended palm. Nodding abruptly she exits the platform. Booth turns back to Angela. "Looks like this is gonna be a cold winter for me." He turns and following Brennan's lead exits the lab.

Angela turns back to her male friends and slaps Jack's arm lightly. He pulls an offended face and she points a finger at him in warning.

"I know, you already scolded me Ange. We won't bring up the kissing thing again."

Zack looks up at her sheepishly. "Sorry Angela."

"Just be careful, if she finds out that I told you she'll get upset." Angela turns on her heel leaving Jack and Zack staring at one another in mild annoyance. Jack slides onto the chair in front of the microscope and adjusts the lens.

"It was your fault Zack."

Zack opens his mouth to retort but is instead stood with a gaping mouth.

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Brennan juggles a bag of groceries whilst she digs in her pocket for her apartment keys. As her handbag starts to slip from her shoulder she hears the shrill ringing of her cell phone. Groaning she allows the bag of groceries to slide to the floor still searching for her keys and then attempting to pulls her cell from her bag.

Smiling triumphantly as both hands return to the air with intended objects she throws the keys into the lock and holds the phone against her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bones…..uh, is this a bad time?"

"No, why would it be?"

"You sound kind of out of breath."

"I'm fine, what's wrong?" She picks up the bag from the floor and bustles into the apartment kicking the door closed behind her.

"Nothing, I just thought you might want a heads up on what I've found out about our friend warren?"

Dropping the bag onto the kitchenette counter and shrugging her bag and jacket off she runs a hand through her hair. "Okay."

"Warren was apparently seeing someone else behind his wife's back, although she did file a missing person's report, when the police found out they just assumed that he'd done a runner with the other woman… I think that he was the supplier."

"Supplying what?"

"The plastics… I need to make sure, I'll make some more calls tomorrow."

"Okay." There is a sudden awkward silence and Brennan sits pulling fluff from her shirt.

"Bones?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we okay? I mean, I know you said to forget it and everything, but I just wanna make sure that this isn't going to affect us."

"We're fine Booth."

"Good. Well I better let you go and do whatever you need to do. Night."

"Goodnight."

She drops the cell by her side and leans her head back on the sofa. Forgetting about her encounter with Booth was easier said than done. Today she'd tried her best not to remember how soft his lips felt against her own, she tried not to remember how her heart had raced when she'd felt him tangle his hands in her hair… but most of all she tried not to remember how much she had wanted him, how much she still does. Sighing she pushes herself to her feet and heads toward the kitchenette and the abandoned groceries. "Damn you Booth."

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Booth stares at the TV unseeingly. His mind works over the events of the past few days. He should be grateful that Brennan is even talking to him, he had imagined much worse, but he isn't happy. He's nowhere near content with the conclusion to the latest chapter of his life. He'd wasted opportunities recently, opportunities whereby instead of showing her how much he had come to care for her, he'd pushed her away by wasting time with Cam and Rebecca. Jared was right, Rebecca would always have a place in his heart, that place was called Parker. With Cam, he'd been flattered by her reluctance to let him go, by her sudden appearance at the Jeffersonian.

Now thinking back on it, her actions anger him. Cam had known about his work with the Jeffersonian. She'd known about Brennan, and now he is pretty certain that much like everything else, she was treating the pursuit of him as a competition. He runs an agitated hand through his hair. Brennan never had a chance, he sees that now, Cam would always come out on top, her strong determined nature would always win out if he remained blind to it.

Brennan had him on his knees from their first hello, he'd fought so hard to repress his growing feelings from her, looking back now he sees that he was always fighting a losing battle. Tessa had seen it, Cam and Rebecca were no less perceptive. Tessa had taken her leave respectfully, Cam slightly less so, but Rebecca would always try to assert her influence over him. He knows that he'll need to prove to Brennan that he won't allow his past overshadow his feelings, he knows that he needs to gain her trust again.

Picking up his phone he dials in Angela's number, he may not want her advice, but he'll certainly need her help.

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**Wow it's been so long since I've updated. Sorry guys.**


	13. Plan B

Angela sways into Brennan's office and leans against the door jamb, her friend doesn't even look up from her notebook.

"Sweetie, what you up to?"

"Um, nothing, I'm just researching something for the next chapter of my novel."

"You research?... There was me thinking you just knew everything about everything without having to ask."

Brennan glances up from the monitor to throw a bemused glance at Angela.

"Cam not keeping you busy enough Ange?"

"Plenty busy… I just, I was wondering if we could talk?"

"Sure… about what?" Brennan folds the notebook down and focuses on Angela. Angela hooks a thumb over her shoulder.

"Could we talk somewhere else? I don't really want anyone to walk in on us."

Brennan gets up from her seat frowning, she nods and makes her way to the door. "Lead the way."

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Booth shuffles into Cam's office as she closes the door behind him. She walks around to her desk and seats herself offering a seat to Booth.

"So, Seeley. What's this all about?"

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Angela leans against the wall in the deserted office corridor. Brennan waits patiently for Angela to begin with her arms folded across her chest.

"I think I'm gonna quit Bren.. With all the changes that have happened around here lately, I don't know if I can adjust."

"What? Don't leave Angela. I know it's hard, trust me I know it's hard."

Angela shakes her head sorrowfully. Voices drift softly through a ventilation shaft and Angela holds back a smirk.

"Angela. If this is about Cam…" Angela holds up her hand and keens her ear to the shaft.

"Sweetie did you hear someone talking? It sounded like Booth…"

"No."

Another muffled voice drifts through the shaft and Angela nods her head ecstatically. "You had to have heard that."

"I did… we shouldn't eavesdrop."

"Must be coming from Cam's office. I think they are talking about you."

"What?" Brennan stands close to Angela as they listen into the conversation taking place in the next room.

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Booth looks at his hands nervously as he braces himself for the upcoming conversation. Cam raises an eyebrow at him as she waits for his answer.

"Seeley, I wasn't born yesterday, I know you didn't come here to talk to me about how I'm getting on with Dr Brennan. What gives?"

"You're right. I came to talk about us….. We can't happen Cam. It's no use."

"You're ending things with me again? Didn't we have this conversation a month ago?"

"You're right we did. But I want to be honest with you. I need to get my reasons out in the open if I'm gonna be able to put this behind us once and for all. I can't afford any more slips."

Cam folds her hands and leans back in her chair with a sardonic smile. "That's slightly narcissistic of you Seeley."

"I know… but just hear me out?" She nods her acquiescence. "It's Bones."

"You're in love with her."

"Yeah. I am."

"It's not news, everyone here knows it."

"Everyone but her. I never wanted to hurt you Cam, but I can't afford to screw this up. I never wanted to feel this way for her, but I do. Lately I've been on this self destructive path, trying my best to ignore what I feel, and I've been selfish, because I could have potentially hurt you along the way."

She laughs and leans forward. "Come on Seeley. It's me, I'm a big girl now. It'll take more than you to break me."

He holds up his hands in defence and nods in acceptance. "I've told you this in good faith, please don't use it against her in any way… this is all me."

"I won't. I know that I come off as being hard on her, but I think sometimes she needs, even enjoys, the challenge. She has my utmost respect."

"Thank you. I hope this won't affect our working relationship?"

"Not at all."

He nods and pushes himself up from his chair, a grim expression setting across his face. She frowns.

"I think you are supposed to look relieved now Seeley."

"I would be, if I didn't have to face the same conversation with Rebecca."

"I hope she's worth all this trouble, you're making a very dangerous move by confronting Rebecca with this. You're jeopardising time with your son."

"She's worth it."

He smiles and turns and leaves.

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Angela glances at her friend who has slumped back against a wall. Brennan has a confused look on her face, holding back a smile Angela places a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Bren, we should get out of here."

Brennan nods and allows Angela to guide her away from the scene of their crime.

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Booth waits outside of Brennan's office and watches them come into view anxiously. His heart sinks as Brennan meets his eyes and then drops her own to the floor. She brushes past him and over to her desk. Angela holds back slightly.

"Hey Bones."

"Hi."

She lowers herself carefully into her desk chair and glances at him quickly from the corner of her eye. Angela taps his arm and floats past him into the office.

"Hi to you too Booth."

He blushes and nods "Sorry, Angela. Hey."

"We don't have any further results for you Booth."

"No, I know. Cullen is happy to wrap up the case, we've concluded that the guys had a fight.. things got out of hand… I just thought I'd say hey, I was in seeing Cam on some business."

Angela grins mischievously. "Was that personal business Booth?"

He coughs uncomfortably and Brennan tries to appear more engrossed in her notebook. Nodding he shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Anyway ladies, I see that you're busy, so I'll catch you later.. I have somewhere I need to be son anyway."

"Bye."

Angela looks up at him and grins waving enthusiastically, Booth rolls his eyes and exits. After he has disappeared from sight Brennan looks up to meet her friend's concerned gaze.

"You ok Sweetie?"

"I don't know. I wish I'd never heard any of that."

"Isn't this good news? He's in love with you Bren… and despite that fact that you continuously deny it, you're in love with him too. I don't see where the problem lies."

"God this is so complicated." She holds her head in her hands. Angela pushes herself up from the sofa and Brennan's head shoots up. "Where are you going?"

"It's after five, I'm going home, that's what normal work loathing people do Bren. Besides, I have a date tonight."

Brennan suddenly resembles a lost child, a panic expression crossing her features. "I need to talk this over, I need to know what to do."

Angela walks over to her friend and leaning down places a soft kiss on her forehead. "You already know what to do sweetie, you just need to build up the courage to do it…. I'll call you tonight."

Brennan watches her friend walk out of the office and closes her eyes trying to calm her over worked mind.

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**Oh no… what will Brennan do? **

**Thanks for all the reviews guys, the continued support keeps me going. We're not far from the end of this story, so keep with me.**


	14. Listening

She slumps into her sofa, her book discarded by her side, a large glass of quickly dissipating wine in her hand. She stares at the window in front of her, not really observing anything, just using it as a focus point. Soft music plays in the background but she doesn't hear it, grabbing the blanket from beside her she pulls it haphazardly over her legs to combat the chill that she hasn't been able to shake all day. She shifts her focus from the window to the phone on her table, she stares at it until her focus blurs and she is forced to look away. Picking up the book beside her she sighs and decides to try and direct her attention elsewhere.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth clears the beer bottles from his table, he potters into the kitchen leaving Angela relaxing on his sofa.

"I just don't think this was the best way to go about it, I mean, I thought that it was…but… I dunno… she didn't seem to buy it."

"Booth will you relax, trust me sweetie, she both bought it, and despite what she thinks right now, she is coming to terms with how you both feel for one another."

He re-enters the living room and hands her a fresh beer, sitting across from her with his own.

"I wish things weren't so complicated."

"It's Bren honey. Things have to be complicated, if they weren't then she wouldn't understand them." She smiles at him cheekily and her features quickly turn serious again. "She's never been in love Booth, more than anything I think that's scaring the hell out of her."

Booth looks at his beer and takes a slow swig from the bottle. "I just wish I knew how she felt… I just wish she'd let me in."

"She will…. Anyway, I better get a move on, I have a date tonight."

He nods and smiles, they both get up from the sofa and make their way to the front door, Angela places a gentle hand on his arm and smiles reassuringly. "She'll come to you when she's ready."

"Thanks Ange."

She smiles and is halfway through the door before she turns back to him and gives him a sly smile, he looks over her shoulder and sees a yellow cab pull into his driveway, in the back of the cab is a confused looking Temperance Brennan.

"God, I am good!" Angela continues her descent down the steps of his house and towards the cab, Booth watches Brennan exit the cab from his stoop. Angela smiles and puts her hand on the cab door. "Mind if I steal your cab?"

"No…. You're date was with Booth?" Her expression is confused and her voice thinly disguises hurt.

"Of course not, he wanted some advice… I'm gonna be late for my date if I don't hurry away now." She leans forward and gives her friend a quick squeeze whispering into her ear. "Don't be too hard on him sweetie." With that Angela is in the cab and reversing out of the driveway leaving a very unsure looking Brennan staring up at an equally confused Booth. His hands are deep in his pockets and his feet bare, he tries a lopsided smile and she draws in a deep shuddery breath before walking to join him.

"Hey, is everything okay Bones?"

"Yeah, I think so."

He steps aside and allows her to walk past him and into the hallway. "Can I get you a beer? Wine?"

She purses her lips and turns to look at him with a small smile. "Sure, thanks."

He is slightly surprised by her acceptance, he hadn't expected this to be a social visit but he nods quickly and gestures towards the lounge as he enters the kitchen. "Grab a seat, I'll be right through. What is to be, wine or beer?"

"Um beer."

"Coming up."

She walks through to the lounge peeling her jacket from her shoulders and draping it over the arm of the sofa. She runs her hands through her hair subconsciously combing it before lowering herself onto the sofa. Booth comes through to the lounge and hands her a beer before perching on the sofa next to her. He looks at her and forces a small smile before turning his attention to his beer.

"So."

"So." She picks at the beer bottle label and takes a swig.

"Aren't you going to tell me what brings you here? I mean… I don't mind, it's just that….."

"You're expecting company?"

"No. No. I'm glad you're here."

"You are?" He turns to look at her with an amused smirk when he hears the surprise in her tone.

"Of course I am. But I won't deny that I'm curious about the visit…."

"I'm not sure why I'm here… does that make sense?"

He chuckles "Not really Bones, but with you it rarely does." She frowns and takes a sip of her beer, Booth leans forward and gives her an earnest smile. "You know, sometimes talking things over with someone helps you to find the solution."

She nods as she considers his words. "Okay. I found out something today, I guess it is something that I knew already… well kind of, but…. Did you ever find out something about someone that you thought you knew, and it changes the way that you see them?"

Booth nods calmly, his heart racing within his chest as he waits for her to drop the next bomb on it. "Is this about Cam?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you found out something that has changed your opinion of her?"

"No. Nothing like that…. Never mind, forget it."

He decides not to push her, knowing that she will come to him when she is ready, taking Angela's advice. Nodding he reaches over her for the remote and lifting his feet to rest on the table flicks the television on. "What do you want to watch Bones?"

Her stance visibly relaxes and she settles back against the cushions, glancing at him quickly she smiles. "Anything."

_A Few hours later……………._

Booth yawns as the credits roll from the finishing movie, Brennan looks to him and goes to place her beer on the table. "I should go, you're tired."

His hand rests on her arm and he smiles gently. "No, you don't need to go, stay a bit longer Bones." She looks unsure and he rubs her arm. "Come on Bones, it's a Friday night… it's not even ten yet, you can't leave me all alone?"

She grins at him and grabs the remote from him, relaxing back into the chair she flicks the channels finally settling on the Discovery Channel showing a documentary about the ancient Mayans. Her eyes widen in interest before Booth lets out a sigh.

"Come on Bones….change the channel?"

"Booth, this looks interesting."

"Come on Bones, change the channel." He takes a swipe at her arm to get a hold of the remote, she pulls it out of reach just in time a smile appearing in her eyes.

"It'll do you good to watch it, it's educational."

He grins at the challenge she is setting and turns his attention to the TV, when he feels her arm relax he makes another dive for the remote, again she is too quick and manages to keep it from his reach, he lunges again landing half across her lap and she chuckles in delight at her ability to outmanoeuvre him. He grabs her arms and pulls them down towards him taking the remote from her. He smiles triumphantly as he waggles the prize in front of her face, her laughter dies quickly as their current position becomes more apparent.

Booth smiles gently and his eyes search hers, after another beat he starts to move back to his side of the sofa but her hand on his arm stops him. He lifts his eyes slowly to meet her own and sees something moving in them, something so familiar but so new that he is unable to place it. When her eyes begin to falter and move from his own he realises that he may have waited too long, a finger under her chin stops her downward descent and as she begins to lift her eyes back to his he leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to her lips. He pulls back to look at her slowly and when a small smile forms on her lips he smiles and holds a hand over his face.

"Is this one gonna hurt as much as the last?"

She rolls her eyes and moves his hand from his face slowly. "I don't think that kiss deserved a slap"

He pulls a mock-hurt face and nods "You're right, hardly worthy. You should let me try again." Her grin matches his own and he slips a hand behind her neck bringing her lips back to his.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**So – they kissed!**

**I reckon for the next story I do am gonna have to change the dynamics a little, every story it's always Booth who's chasing Brennan…. Time for a change.**


End file.
